Milford Track Film

New adventure film!

Features our backpack in Fiordland National Park on the Milford Track.

 4 days of epic fun!

Click here for Milford Track Film

High School and Middle School (Milestones in NZ)



Ellie scooter, it is all down hill on the steepest street in the world.



Ellie plans to learn to play the Clarinet and compete in all the sport opportunities at school. Her teacher is a "gentle giant" - and probably one the coolest teachers at DNI. Mr Tofia is a Maori man that focus's on art and social sciences. He is funny and firm with the kids. 

KNOW THYSELF

Ellie's first day of Middle School. Gotta love the uniform.

Alex on his first day of High School.


He really likes his crazy science teacher, everyday we hear about some insane experiments involving liquid nitrogen or hydrogen.

The kids school uniforms are really expensive, but luckily Alex won a $300 scholarship for his accomplishments in Sports and Art.

Click here to see a news interview about the Scholarship Winners

It was really neat that he was validated by the school for his many biking accomplishments. Alex has competed in several Bike Jams Competitions in Montana and in New Zealand over the last year.

 He also was recognized for his film and movie making skills .

Check out his youtube channel with his bike films;Alex's films.



Lets do it!

Road Trip! (East to West Coast)

Click here to see our new film.
East to West Coast Road Trip Video

 This film features us exploring underground cave stream, glaciers, rock climbing, and surfing both East and West coasts of New Zealand.
Amazing New Zealand Sculpture and Art installations, including Ron Mueck exhibit in Christchurch. Great trip!

Underwater Stream Cave Adventure

Leaving the light in the cave..... A short trail goes north to the upstream entrance, through a limestone landscape of solution holes, rillenkarren (water grooved rocks) and sculptured rock formations.If you want to do this, be prepared!
You need to take...

• One torch per person, plus spare batteries. You may want to tie it around your neck so your hands are free.
• Warm tops (wool or propylene is best).
• Shorts or long-johns (wool or propylene). Jeans are dangerous!
• Strong, secure footwear. Running shoes are good.
• Have clothing to change into when you finish.

  WARNING: Do not attempt to enter if the stream is high, with the water discolored or foaming.

 

No Joke! The cave passage meanders and twists in pitch darkness for 362 meters between the two entrances. The cave ends in a deep pool with a 3-meter high waterfall.

Heading into Cave.....the water was deep right away

John and Alex ready for an adventure....Alex lead the way like all backpacks and hikes.

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Ellie ready to go through the hole

 Jen with a wild look in her eye climbing through tight spot

Gorgeous color of stream water

 Ellie loved this adventure the most! She was singing out-loud the whole time enjoying the echo!
After ladder, Ellie uses metal step to get through a tight area. The iron rungs in the rock climbs up beside the waterfall and a chain and step help the crawl along the overhang ledge to the exit.

 Finally the light of day!!!

End of the Stream Cave!

History

Evidence of Maori occupation in the Cave Stream area includes rock-art, artifacts and signs of seasonal camps.
On the ridge above the reserve an old Maori backpack was found in a small rock shelter. It is made from flax, with a wooden frame, and has broad straps. Intricately woven flax over the frame could stretch in both directions to accommodate the pack’s contents. Finding this pack confirmed traditional knowledge that Maori used packs, similar to the modern day pack, for carrying loads. The pack is estimated to be 500 years old and can be seen in the Canterbury Museum. http://www.castlehill.net.nz/castlehill/cavestream/cavestream.htm#Going%20Through%20The%20Cave

Ski Highlights of 2010

jen and john at Big SKy

Missing out on our winter in the Northern hemisphere has gotten me to finally edit all our ski footage from Montana. It was a great season with over 30 family ski days together.  Most of this film footage is taken from our epic week at Big Sky over spring break in March of 2010. (no serious injuries occurred on "crash reel" on film)
Click below to watch movie..... 
2010 Bardsley Family Ski Highlight Movie

Alex checking out cliff 

 Ellie raced again for Discovery Ski Team. She won her division at the end of year race. She had a great time with her buddy Skye - the girls have been chairlift buddies for many seasons at Discovery.


Click here for Ellie's own ski Flick;
Ellie Ski Video "Speed Bunny" 

Ellie and Skye

John and Skye's dad  Steve congratulating Ellie after her race

Alex ripping the rail at Lost Trail, Idaho

Amazing Art in New Zealand

 



Alex and John under installation



Ellie exploding art

We waited for 40 minuets to get into the Christchurch art museum to see the Ron Mueck exhibit.

Ron Mueck is an international sculpture darling from Australia, I've been wanting to see his exhibit in Christchurch for months. So on the last day of his show, so we drove 5 hours north to check it out.

Now, your gonna ask if these works are real people....! But they are not! He replicates the human figure with unrivalled technical skill. His work has a powerful psychological range, focusing not only on universal experiences like birth, life and death but on emotional states such as isolation, fear and tenderness. The works have such a venerability. 

Ellie's fave was this infant girl. The scale of the art work was powerful in contrast to the idea of the a little baby.

Amazing detail.

This piece was intense. The man was so real and looked so vulnerable while all the viewers stared at him sitting uncomfortably.

This was my favorite sculpture. The photo doesn't capture her beautiful expression of letting go.

jen with larger than life mother expecting

John's fave was the man in the boat.

Alex thought that this 'sleeping man" was really cool

The sculpture below is super little. I felt the size put into perspective the idea of wanting to scoop up this tiny grandma and comfort her final moments.

I thought that most women could relate to this piece...

This was a massive work!

One of the few figures with clothing. The kids recognized the body position related to Jesus on the Cross. Reference to sacrifice? Or just a guy in the pool? Either way, i love that it got the kids discussing ideas.

Ellie likes to get up close to all the works, Every piece she would stare for a long time quietly then whisper in my ear her thoughts about the art.

This sculpture was amazing. The two little old ladies have such a look of judgment on their face expressions. This was another piece that John and I wondered if the models were from Finland. So many of the figures had face structure that reminded us of our time in Scandinavia.

little old women being judged by big women

After we left the art museum, a guy driving a toilet with a lady in a sink drove by....

Viva la Artists!